Stargazing
by Bottled.Stardust
Summary: In which Clara and the Doctor go stargazing on another planet, and Clara realizes that, perhaps, the Doctor does actually know her better than she thinks.


Sorry, I've been completely neglecting to add author's notes to the coffee shop one, but I guess I'll start here! This is one I wrote... a while back, I guess? I don't really remember.

* * *

_In which Clara and the Doctor go stargazing on another planet, and Clara realizes that, perhaps, the Doctor does actually know her better than she thinks._

* * *

"Tell me?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Nope!"

"Please?" Clara had been trying to get the Doctor to spill the beans for the last fifteen minutes, but to no avail. She was leaning against the TARDIS railing, watching the Time Lord whirling around the console like an excited child, flipping levers and pressing buttons as he piloted the ship towards their destination.

"I'm not telling you, Clara!" The Doctor replied, turning to flash her a grin and raising his eyebrows. "That would ruin the surprise of it all!"

"Can't you at least give me a hint?" Clara pleaded. "Just a little bit of one?"

"No!" The Doctor, now hidden from Clara's sight on the other side of the central core, sang out. "You'll find out soon enough! By the way, can you grab that blanket?"

"What, this one on the railing?" Clara asked, glancing over at the worn-looking checkered cloth that had been folded and draped over the metal poles ringing the console platform. She touched it with one finger; the edges were frayed and it was much dingier than most of the things the Doctor had.

"That's the one!"

Clara slid it off the rails and tucked it under one arm. "So what, we're going on a picnic?" She asked him. "That's your big surprise?"

The familiar sound of the TARDIS materializing rang through the control room just as the Doctor reappeared, a look of giddy anticipation on his face. "No! Well, yes. Not quite? You'll see. It's much better than a boring old picnic."

"What, so a space picnic?" Clara asked, making a face at him.

"Sort of. There's no food, for a start." The Doctor replied as he slipped into his purple jacket, which had been tossed over the rails next to the blanket.

"You can't have a picnic without food!" Clara giggled at him. "Otherwise it's just sitting!"

"Oh, trust me." The Doctor winked at Clara. "Food is not going to matter the moment you step through those doors."

Clara felt anticipation rise in her. "Can I go out, then?" She asked, starting towards the exit excitedly.

"Wait!" The Doctor called after her. Clara turned back to look at him, curiousity in her eyes.

"What is it?" She asked him. "I thought you couldn't wait to show me this!"

"Close your eyes," He told her. "Okay? Like when I took you to Akhaten."

Clara made a pouty face at him, but turned back to the doors and squeezed her eyes shut, anyways. "Okay," She confirmed. "They're closed."

She heard footsteps, followed by the feeling of the Doctor's hand on her shoulder. The door creaked open, and a soft breeze drifted in, tickling Clara's face. The Doctor gently steered her out through the doors, and she felt herself step down onto the ground of somewhere new. "Ready?" He murmured. His voice was very close to her ear.

"Ready," She breathed in response, curling her fingers into anxious fists before relaxing them again.

"Open 'em."

Clara took a deep breath, then slowly cracked her eyes open a slit. Slowly, they widened until they were as round as two full moons. "Wow." The Doctor certainly hadn't let her down this time.

"Do you like it?" The Doctor stepped around to stand beside her, staring around proudly. "I thought you might."

Clara opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She had nothing to say.

The world stretched out in front of them, a wide expanse of grass that went on forever, unbroken. The sky, midnight blue, sparkled with a billion stars splashed against the mottled backdrop of countless galaxies. Golden lights flickered in and out of view around them. Clara, excited, grabbed the Doctor's hand and pointed to one of the lights. "Are those fireflies?" She asked him.

"Not quite." The Doctor handed her something he'd been holding—a small paper bag. "Open that up and take one out."

"Take what out?" Clara dropped the Doctor's hand so she could fold up the edges and peeked in. Confused, she pulled out a fresh, ripe strawberry. "What are these for?"

"Hold it out in front of you," The Doctor instructed with a small smile. "You'll see."

She did as he said, stretching her arm out and holding the strawberry out on her palm. Within a few moments, the tiny golden bugs had begun to land on its surface. "What are they?" She asked, pulling in her hand to look at it closer.

"Luminescent butterflies," The Doctor replied. "This is the only planet in the known universe that has them."

"Wow," Clara whispered, eyes widening as she marveled at the miniscule insects. They looked like regular butterflies, with delicate wings and long bodies, except the biggest one was only the size of her thumbnail. Their wings glowed with a pale light and were traced with ribbons of gold, yellow and orange. "They're amazing!"

"Aren't they?" The Doctor leaned over her shoulder to watch the butterflies crawl across the surface of the strawberry. Gently, he reached around and took the strawberry from her, setting it on the ground so the insects could continue their meal in peace and then holding out one hand. "Blanket?"

Clara handed it to him. "What's it for?" She asked, watching as he took it from her and spread it across the ground.

"Stargazing, of course!" The Doctor plunked himself down on one side of the cloth and patted the other side. "It's much better here than it is on Earth, I promise."

A smile spread across Clara's face as she walked over and sat down on the other half of the blanket. "Do you know these skies?" She asked the Doctor, turning to raise her eyebrows at him.

He chuckled. "Of course I do!" He scooted forward a little bit and flopped backwards so he was lying down. Clara couldn't help giggle at how silly he looked like that, with his too-long legs hanging off the edge of the blanket and his messy hair spread out under his head, but after a few moments he reached up and grabbed her, pulling her down so she was lying on her back, too.

Clara fell silent, devoting all her attention to the stars above them. "Which galaxy is that one?" She asked the Doctor, pointing upwards towards the sky.

"Oh, I don't know," He replied almost instantly.

"I thought you knew everything?" Clara asked, a note of teasing in her voice.

"I do," He informed her in the same tone. "Just not the name of that galaxy."

"What about that one?"

"The name escapes me right now, but I'm sure it's not in English."

"Oh, thanks." Clara rolled her eyes. "So, when you say you know these skies, you actually mean you don't?"

"Never been here before in my life."

"How'd you know I'd like it, then?" Clara reached out into the space between them and curled her fingers around his hand. He reacted almost immediately by lacing his fingers through hers and giving them a squeeze.

"Oh, I know you well enough."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You like everything I show you."

"Of course I do." Clara returned the gentle squeeze, then wiggled closer to him and tilted her head against his shoulder. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I'd assume you would have gotten bored with the stars by now."

"Nah."

"Why not?"

She smiled. "'Cause I'm seeing them with you."


End file.
